At the IGTP TODAY
The Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) has published the final resolution of the call for grants to support the activities of research groups in universities, centres and foundations. In this year's call, 21 IGTP groups have been recognised as Consolidated or Emerging Research Groups, 7 of which will receive funding totalling €340,000.
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The Hereditary Cancer research group from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has led an international collaboration that has allowed the genomic characterisation of the most commonly used cell lines derived from malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs). This research has generated a detailed catalogue of genomic alterations for each cell line, which can be used to develop strategies for precision therapies. At the same time, a genomic repository has been created that is open to all researchers interested in these tumours. The work has been published in the journal iScience.
A multidisciplinary group of tuberculosis experts from the TBnet and RESIST-TB networks have reached a consensus on key issues related to the molecular prediction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibiotic sensitivity or resistance and its clinical implications. The consensus document provides guidance for the design of therapeutic regimens and the optimization of treatments, and is intended to help clinicians manage tuberculosis patients. The paper, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and led by Dr José Domínguez from IGTP, is an update of a similar statement made in 2016.
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People exposed to higher levels of air pollution before the pandemic had lower antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In particular, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and black carbon (BC) was associated with about a 10% decrease in IgM and IgG antibody responses in people without prior infection. The findings, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, provide further evidence on the adverse effects of air pollution on the immune system.
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The Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB) participated in the demonstration of the efficacy of the vaccine in its preclinical phase, carrying out studies with the different variants of the virus and with mice as animal models in the high-security level 3 facilities.
The consortium made up of Aniling, the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and the Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO) has been awarded €1.8 million from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) for the development of a new theragnostic tool to personalise the management of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
The visit of the director of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) -a public body attached to the Ministry of Science and Innovation, responsible for the promotion, coordination and funding of health research- at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) was an opportunity to gain direct insight into the latest advances and research while addressing strategic issues.
In the first episode, "La tuberculosi: la pandèmia dels pobres" (Tuberculosis: the pandemic of the poor), researcher José Domínguez explains the basics of the disease and the current situation of research. This podcast is a way for the centre to reach a wide audience, thanks to a short and dynamic storytelling format.
The Clinical and Environmental Infectious Diseases Research Group (CEID) has discovered a molecule of natural origin with a high bactericidal, amoebicidal and biofilm reduction capacity. The collaboration signed by the group's researchers with a private company will finance the improvement of the molecule's characteristics to be applied in large water installations, preventing water for human consumption from acting as a vehicle for the transmission of bacterial diseases.
A study with people who inject drugs evaluated a minimally invasive test based on dried blood spots (DBS) for the monitoring of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The use of DBS samples for HCV RNA detection and genotyping was shown to effectively assess cure after treatment and to differentiate between reinfection and treatment failure. The results support the viability of decentralizing treatment and post-treatment monitoring for people who inject drugs, who frequently face challenges accessing the healthcare system. The study has been published in the Journal of Medical Virology.
